Buster Posey: Preparation is important

Giants catcher helps pitchers get ready for upcoming starts

Over the course of the season, every club has a number of different series to play, whether it be at home when a new team comes into town or your club on the road, or heading to a new city to face another team.

For me to be ready, as both a hitter and catcher, I have developed a routine that works for me, even though it is a routine that I tweak all the time. I think as my career goes along and I continue to gain more experience, there will be more times and instances where I can find a different way or two to make me feel as best prepared as I can be.

As a hitter, the main thing prior to the start of a new series is to go over the video of the opposing pitcher you are going to be facing. On the whole, I am really not that big of a video guy. I think it can sort of lead to a lot of paralysis by analysis.

As a catcher, I will watch a little video on some of the guys who our pitcher is going to face then. I will also touch base with Dave Righetti, our pitching coach, and a few more guys on our coaching staff to make sure we are all on the same page.

A series can be as short as two days and some extend to as many as four games. For me, I take it day by day, game by game. I do that because I want to put as much focus as I can on the game at hand, the one most immediate. From there, we will attack the next day and repeat a lot of the same routine when it comes to video.

You also sort of find the balance of what your starting pitchers like the day they pitch. Some like conversation and some don't like to talk much. Some guys want to really get into the zone. It is a mindset, and they like to be left alone most of the time.

I think it is your responsibility as a catcher to know and to be prepared for the way they like to prepare. Everyone is a little bit different in that regard, but really it is about trying to make everyone as comfortable as they can be.

Also, I think the work load can be less when you play a certain team a lot of times. In our division, we will see a lot of the Dodgers, Padres, Rockies and Diamondbacks. When you see them that first time during a season, it may be more work initially than it is as the season goes along and you face one of those clubs more often.

Sometimes you get to see the same guys for a number of years, but it is good to get a refresher prior to the first game of a series and to familiarize yourself with some of the new faces that a team might have.

When Interleague play hits, for me, it is more of a crash course, so to speak. That is because you only see those guys for that one time.

Giants catcher Buster Posey has made a fine return to the San Francisco lineup after being limited to 45 games last season due to a fractured fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle. He made the National League All-Star squad this year and is batting .297 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.